9.18.2001

damn media hysteria

From Much Music News, the latest result of the way our media manipulates us all. I'm sorry but this goes WAY too far. Who the hell asked this company to "protect" me from potential anti-war sentiments, war depictions, songs that offer solace about war, that might suggest violence in the most obscure ways.

*****Clear Channel Bans Songs From The Radio
Clear Channel is a massive media company in the US that owns 1,170 radio stations all over the world. In light of the events of last week they have pulled The Beatles “A Day In The Life”, Elton John’s “Rocket Man”, Queen’s “Another One Bites The Dust” and U2’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday” from their station’s play list. They are recommending the following songs be pulled as well. Artist Title Drowning Pool "Bodies" Mudvayne "Death Blooms" Megadeth "Dread and the Fugitive" Megadeth "Sweating Bullets" Saliva "Click Click Boom" P.O.D. "Boom" Metallica "Seek and Destroy" Metallica "Harvester or Sorrow" Metallica "Enter Sandman" Metallica "Fade to Black" Nine Inch Nails "Head Like a Hole" Godsmack "Bad Religion" Tool "Intolerance" Soundgarden "Blow Up the Outside World" AC/DC "Shot Down in Flames" AC/DC "Shoot to Thrill" AC/DC "Dirty Deeds" AC/DC "Highway to Hell" AC/DC "Safe in New York City" AC/DC "TNT" AC/DC "Hell's Bells" Black Sabbath "War Pigs" Black Sabbath "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" Black Sabbath "Suicide Solution" Dio "Holy Diver" Steve Miller "Jet Airliner" Van Halen "Jump" Queen "Another One Bites the Dust" Queen "Killer Queen" Pat Benatar "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" Pat Benatar "Love is a Battlefield" Oingo Boingo "Dead Man's Party" REM “It’s The End Of The World As We Know It” Talking Heads "Burning Down the House" Judas Pries "Some Heads Are Gonna Roll" Pink Floyd "Run Like Hell" Pink Floyd "Mother" Savage Garden "Crash and Burn" Dave Matthews Band "Crash Into Me" Bangles "Walk Like an Egyptian" Pretender "My City Was Gone" Alanis Morissette "Ironic" Barenaked Ladies "Falling for the First Time" Fuel "Bad Day" John Parr "St. Elmo's Fire" Peter Gabriel "When You're Falling" Kansas "Dust in the Wind" Led Zeppelin "Stairway to Heaven" The Beatles "A Day in the Life" The Beatles "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" The Beatles "Ticket To Ride" The Beatles "Obla Di, Obla Da" Bob Dylan/Guns N Roses "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" Arthur Brown "Fire" Blue Oyster Cult "Burnin' For You" Paul McCartney and Wings "Live and Let Die" Jimmy Hendrix "Hey Joe" Jackson Brown "Doctor My Eyes" John Mellencamp "Crumbling Down" John Mellencamp "I'm On Fire" U2 "Sunday Bloody Sunday" Boston "Smokin" Billy Joel "Only the Good Die Young" Barry McGuire "Eve of Destruction" Steam "Na Na Na Na Hey Hey" Drifters "On Broadway" Shelly Fabares "Johnny Angel" Los Bravos "Black is Black" Peter and Gordon "I Go To Pieces" Peter and Gordon "A World Without Love" Elvis "(You're the) Devil in Disguise" Zombies "She's Not There" Elton John "Benny & The Jets" Elton John "Daniel" Elton John "Rocket Man" Jerry Lee Lewis "Great Balls of Fire" Santana "Evil Ways" Louis Armstrong "What A Wonderful World" Youngbloods "Get Together" Ad Libs "The Boy from New York City" Peter Paul and Mary "Blowin' in the Wind" Peter Paul and Mary "Leavin' on a Jet Plane" Rolling Stones "Ruby Tuesday" Simon And Garfunkel "Bridge Over Troubled Water" Happenings "See You in Septemeber" Carole King "I Feel the Earth Move" Yager and Evans "In the Year 2525" Norman Greenbaum "Spirit in the Sky" Brooklyn Bridge "Worst That Could Happen" Three Degrees "When Will I See You Again" Cat Stevens "Peace Train" Cat Stevens "Morning Has Broken" Jan and Dean "Dead Man's Curve" Martha & the Vandellas "Nowhere to Run" Martha and the Vandellas/Van Halen "Dancing in the Streets" Hollies "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" San Cooke “Herman Hermits, "Wonder World" Petula Clark "A Sign of the Times" Don McLean "American Pie" J. Frank Wilson "Last Kiss" Buddy Holly and the Crickets "That'll Be the Day" John Lennon "Imagine" Bobby Darin "Mack the Knife" The Clash "Rock the Casbah" Surfaris "Wipeout" Blood Sweat and Tears "And When I Die" Dave Clark Five "Bits and Pieces" Tramps "Disco Inferno" Paper Lace "The Night Chicago Died" Frank Sinatra "New York, New York" Creedence Clearwater Revival "Travelin' Band" The Gap Band "You Dropped a Bomb On Me" Alien Ant Farm "Smooth Criminal" 3 Doors Down "Duck and Run" The Doors "The End" Third Eye Blind "Jumper" Neil Diamond "America" Lenny Kravitz "Fly Away" Tom Petty "Free Fallin'" Bruce Springsteen "I'm On Fire" Bruce Springsteen "Goin' Down" Phil Collins "In the Air Tonight" Alice in Chains "Rooster" Alice in Chains "Sea of Sorrow" Alice in Chains "Down in a Hole" Alice in Chains "Them Bone" Beastie Boys "Sure Shot" Beastie Boys "Sabotage" The Cult "Fire Woman" Everclear "Santa Monica" Filter "Hey Man, Nice Shot" Foo Fighters "Learn to Fly" Korn "Falling Away From Me" Red Hot Chili Peppers "Aeroplane" Red Hot Chili Peppers "Under the Bridge" Smashing Pumpkins "Bullet With Butterfly Wings" System of a Down "Chop Suey!" Skeeter Davis "End of the World" Rickey Nelson "Travelin' Man" Chi-Lites "Have You Seen Her" Animals "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" Fontella Bass "Rescue Me" Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels "Devil with the Blue Dress" James Taylor "Fire and Rain" Edwin Starr/Bruce Springstein "War" Lynyrd Skynyrd "Tuesday's Gone" Limp Bizkit "Break Stuff" Green Day "Brain Stew" Temple of the Dog "Say Hello to Heaven" Sugar Ray “Fly" Local H "Bound for the Floor" Slipknot "Left Behind, Wait and Bleed" Bush "Speed Kills" 311 "Down" Stone Temple Pilots "Big Bang Baby," Dead and Bloated" Soundgarden "Fell on Black Days," Black Hole Sun" Nina "99 Luft Balloons/99 Red Balloons" All Rage Against The Machine songs*****

Who the hell asked this company to "protect" me from potential anti-war sentiments, war depictions, songs that offer solace about war, that might suggest violence in the most obscure ways. My god..."You Dropped a Bomb on Me" is a friggin' metaphor for love, infatuation, for crying out loud. I'm just baffled by some of these choices. Van Halen's Jump? Why? Because it might remind us of how people jumped out of the buildings? This is REACHING. And come on...Burning Down the House? Great Balls of Fire? Bridge over Troubled Water and Spirit in the Sky are songs with RELIGIOUS connotations...people have sang them in church! And why not Dancing in the Streets??? Will that remind us of the pictures of people dancing in Palestine? My god this is just plain IDIOCY.

And Sinatra's New York New York???????????????????????????????? One of the most unifying songs about that city...it should be something played to exemplify the spirit of that amazing town. Shut out by censors who have decided that we need particular protection.

I need to stop. I just get more and more pissed off the more I reread that list.

One thing I am curious about...they don't mention banning cover songs....hey everyone, call up that radio station and ask them to play the Carpenters' version of "Ticket to Ride..."

Will blog about the weekend tomorrow.

12:26 AM | link | up| archives | comments []

9.15.2001

escaping

to a much quieter part of the state for the weekend. Going to hang out with the boy's parents in the Berkshires...the leaves are just barely starting to change. Hopefully less noise from fighter planes on patrol. Back on Monday night.


10:57 AM | link | up| archives | comments []

9.14.2001

amazing

how a war (or threat of one) raises presidential approval ratings. Two weeks ago, he had a mere 55% approval. In the last four days that has gone up to 86% (broadcast on Fox News this evening). His dad was the same way...approval ratings went up drastically during the Persian Gulf War. I'm sorry, but I just don't buy it. Americans are scared and desperate for comfort, for leadership to be strong...they will naturally gravitate to him. As the boy said, at least he has competent people behind him.

It's a sad tragic fact...this takes away all concern we had about the state of the economy, about the fact that the President has spent 1/3 of his term in Texas and on vacation, about his inadequacy as a leader in general.

But, as the boy said tonight, this should be the least of our worries. I'm sorry...but I do worry. Last week he was eschewing Presidential duties to throw out the first ball at youth football games...and now we are putting our faith in him to save the nation from terrorism.

I'm sorry if I'm skeptical about it all. I'm scared shitless to be honest. Scared about the future, about the way the media whips us all into a frenzy and about entering into war. Knowing that we have a sketchy leader at the helm just makes it all worse.

One thing that has really struck me today...hearing the husband (U.S. Solicitor General Theodore Olson) of downed news correspondent Barbara Olson, about her life. How she was someone who lived life to the fullest. When he talks on the news he sounds so calm, so assured...not broken up. His response wasn't indifference, it wasn't even numbness...it was a sense of contentment that they had lived a full life together and appreciated every moment.

Something to aspire to.

10:26 PM | link | up| archives | comments []

i find

that the fear that many people have had for the safety of the nation and for themselves hasn't really hit me yet--at least not until yesterday. I'm talking about the fear that if we go to war that me or my family could be hurt personally. The disaster that happened this last Tuesday affected me profoundly, but not to the extent that I was scared for my immediate family, who has not been in New York. I'm still not as worried about my parents and brother and sister (who are in Boise, ID--I mean, who cares about Idaho?) as I am for myself, for the boy, for his family, for my Boston friends, for my New York friends who are still safe. But yesterday I read something that suddenly hit me, chilled me and now I can't shake the terrible foreboding feeling in my head.

I can't even remember where I saw it (probably CNN), but it was a news item that said that Taliban has sworn to retalitate if US attacks Afghanistan. And then this morning, reading about Bin Laden's promise that his network of thousands in the US have been trained in chemical, biological and nuclear warfare and are ready for martyrdom.

Suddenly that just hit me hard. These attacks on Tuesday were dastardly, they follow no rules of any sort of conventional warfare. They hit a place where thousands of tourists visit every year, where civilians worked, where everyone would feel the pain. Will that be different if they unleash some terrible biological weapon, say, in Seattle, that spreads like wildfire? Or bomb Graceland or Disneyworld? Or drop ANY sort of nuclear weapon? I suddenly feel a terror...if we retaliate and they retaliate...

This is the first war that I have been alive for that could directly affect American soil. That could affect me (the Boston Marriott hotel that was stormed the other day is a mere two miles away...Logan airport is probably 1.5 miles away at most). Sure, they might not have the ability to do the damage that we could to their country...but the thing is, if they have followers that have already directly infiltrated the US...it's a whole different story.

My father lived in Jordan for a short period of time while I was growing up. He says that they see martyrdom as an ultimate end of some kind...and that they will not be humbled by us turning them to "glass" as he says. He believes that it takes humiliation and barbaric methods that we would never undertake such as heads on stakes to show them that they can not withstand the powers that we have. It made me very ill.

I have never been a patriotic person. I have never rallied behind any sort of flag-waving political sort of displays. But in some ways that is different now. I don't see patriotism as backing the government per se, I see it more as supporting the amazing people that we have within this country...the people who are giving their lives searching the rubble, supporting the families who mourn the victims of this tragedy, and in coming together in a unity that says that we believe in the power of the people upon which the fabric of this country has been woven. I am reading story after story of the way that the country has come together to help our fallen and I find that I do have some hope in humanity that I didn't have before.

On the other hand, I read and hear the terrible anger that people have, the harsh words and demand for action that in many ways bring us to the same level that the terrorists are at themselves. It fills me with a sickening fear...this clamor for war. I understand it...and in many ways I do back it. I find that I am torn...I want the bastards who did this to die...but I fear for the lives that will be lost...innocents caught in the crossfire. I am terrified that those innocents could end up being someone I know.

I find that I have a creeping terror that is weighing on me in a way that I have never had in my entire lifetime.

Ten PM EST tonight. Light a candle and pray for justice and ultimately, peace.

12:57 PM | link | up| archives | comments []

9.13.2001

added

new comments system! Huge thanks to Aaron for taking the time to help me out with the implementation. Finally! You can rant and rave at me once more.

On a more scary note...I'm hearing about how they have detained individuals trying to board planes in New York with fake IDs, knives, open airline tickets and flying licenses. My first thought is one of horror. My second is one of--my god what IDIOTS. Can they really be that oblivious to all the news that they didn't realize that there were many new rules in place and that we would be ultra-alert at the airports? I mean, they clearly knew when the planes were going to fly so they must not be totally out of it. Still, I have to sing many praises to the divine power that graced them with such stupidity.

10:41 PM | link | up| archives | comments []